Preservative coating for fruits and vegetables

Abstract

Fresh fruits and vegetables are preserved by coating them with a waxy protective adhering film formed by spraying the fruits and vegetables with a volatile petroleum solvent solution of a waxy film-forming material and an alkyl aryl sulfonic acid solution of a fungicidal benzimidazole of the formulae ##STR1## wherein R 1 is methyl, ethyl, isopropyl or sec-butyl; R 2 is hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms or alkenyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms and R 3 is alkyl of 1 to 12 carbon atoms; ##STR2## wherein R is a five-membered heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen and sulfur and R 1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms or lower alkenyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms and ##STR3## and allowing the solvent to evaporate. Excellent protection against fungi is attained by using benomyl or thiabendazole as the benzimidazole fungicide.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A composition for applying a protective adhering film to the surface of fruits and vegetables comprising a volatile petroleum solvent solution having dissolved therein a waxy film forming material and an alkyl aryl sulfonic acid solution of a fungicidal benzimidazole selected from the class consisting of: ##STR10## wherein R 1  is methyl, ethyl, isopropyl or sec-butyl; R 2  is hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms or alkenyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms and   R 3  is alkyl of 1 to 12 carbon atoms, ##STR11## wherein R is a five-membered heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen and sulfur and   R 1  is hydrogen, lower alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms or lower alkenyl of 3 to 6 carbon atoms and ##STR12##   
     
     
       2. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the alkyl aryl sulfonic acid is dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid. 
     
     
       3. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the alkyl aryl sulfonic acid solution contains a cosolvent selected from the class consisting of a monohydroxy alkanol of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an aliphatic saturated ketone of 3 to 5 carbon atoms, a lower N,N-dialkyl lower aliphatic amide wherein the lower alkyl is 1 to 2 carbon atoms and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. 
     
     
       4. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the benzimidazole is present in the solvent solution in an amount from about 0.02% by weight to about 1.00% by weight and wherein said alkyl aryl sulfonic acid is present in an amount of about 0.03% by weight to about 2% by weight and wherein said waxy material is present in an amount of about 1% by weight to about 20% by weight and wherein the petroleum solvent is present from about 98.8% by weight to about 52.0% by weight and wherein said cosolvent is present from about 25% by weight to about 0.15% by weight. 
     
     
       5. A benzimidazole concentrate prepared by dissolving a benzimidazole of claim 1 in an alkyl aryl sulfonic acid.